Book-binding apparatus



April 14 1959 w. E. HlcKs BooK-BINDING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 8, 1956 w. E. HlczKsv BooK-BINDING APPARATUS April 14, 1959 Filed Feb. 8. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O BOOK-BINDING APPARATUS William E. Hicks, Conover, Wis.

Application February 8, 1956, Serial No. 564,265

3 Claims. (Cl. 11-1) This invention relates to book-binding apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus for binding looseleaf books.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of simple and rugged book-binding apparatus designed to reduce the labor and time required for loose-leaf book binding. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic top plan view, parts being broken away, of apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of certain pin links, parts being broken away;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figs. 1 and 3, showing a pin link with an applied hollow threaded binding post or bushing;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but being taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1 and showing the application to hollow threaded binding posts or bushings of a lirst cover;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but being taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1 and showing the application to said hollow threaded binding posts or bushings of certain insert pages;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but being taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 1 and showing the application of a second cover to said hollow threaded binding posts or bushings and also showing the application thereto of a holding screw;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a holding screw being driven into final position;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but showing a cross section of the nished loose-leaf book removed from the apparatus;

Fig. 10 is a plan view showing alternative forms of pin links; and,

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The assembly of loose-leaf books constituted by front and back covers with page inserts held together by means of hollow threaded binding posts or bushings and holding screws is tedious and time-consuming and makes relatively less profitable the production of such books in quantity. By means of the present invention, such books may be readily neatly assembled in large numbers at high speed and low cost.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there ICC is shown at numeral 1 a bed supported upon legs 3, two of which carry a platform 5. Upon the platform 5 is a driving motor 7 which, through a belt 9, drives a gear-reduction box 11. Through a belt drive 13, the box 11 drives a shaft 17 upon which is a wide drum or pulley 19. The shaft 17 is supported in bearings Z1 upon a bracket 23 located at one end of the machine. At the other end is located a similar bearing bracket 25 carrying bearings 27 for an idler shaft 29.v Shaft 29 supports a wide idler drum or pulley 31. The pulleys 19 and 31 are grooved as shown at 33 and support a thick flexible belt 34, composed of a material such as synthetic rubber or the like.

Supported on opposite sides of the belt, in symmetrical arrangements, are groups of preferably ve right-angular guides or lugs 35 and 37. As shown in Fig. 11, each of these guides 35 and 37 is slotted on one side as shown at 39 for adjustable fastening to the belt 34. Fastening is accomplished by means of nut and bolt combinations 41. The guides 35 may be considered to be lateral guides, and guides 37 to be transverse guides. Within each group of guides 35, 37 is located a pair of leveling supports 43.

Positioned along the approximate center line or median line of the belt is a llexible chain 45, composed of pinned links 47 such as shown in Fig. 3. Their pins are shown at 49. Each link has in it a threaded hole 51. The median position of the chain 45 establishes iirst and second working areas on the belt 34 on opposite sides of the chain. The rst working area is, for example, along the side of the belt corresponding to stations B, D, F, and the second working area is, for example, along the side corresponding to stations A, C, E, all of said stations to be referred to below.

The chain 45 is anchored at intervals to the belt 34 by means of screws such as shown at 53. These are threaded into appropriate holes 51. The pulley grooves 33 accommodate passage of the various heads of fastening means for the guides and chain. The chain between the fastening means 53 exes with the belt as it passes over the pulleys.

At proper intervals along the chain 45, holes 51 in certain of its links 45 are provided with vertical pins 55, pairs of pins being symmetrically disposed with respect to the groups of guides 35, 37. These pins are for slidably accepting hollow threaded binding posts or bushings 57. The latter have endwise heads 59 and are threaded interiorly as shown at 61 (see Fig. 4).`

Straddling the belt 34 is a support 63 for an electric torque-limited screw driver 65. This is carried on an extensible support 67, so that it may be raised and lowered manually for application to headed screws 69 such as shown in Fig. 7.

Operation is as follows, assuming that operators are located at stations A, B, C, D, E and F, and that the motor 7 is running. The belt travels at medium speed in the direction shown by the darts.

An operator at A telescopically applies a pair of hollow threaded binding posts or bushings 57 to an appropriate pair of pins 55 (Fig. 4).

At station B (Fig. 5), a second operator applies to these hollow threaded binding posts or bushings 57 a back cover 71. This is prepunched for the purpose, as shown at 73, and has a transverse score line 75.

At station C (Fig. 6) an operator applies a prepunched sheaf of insert pages 77. Their punchings are shown at 79. This sheaf then becomes supported upon the elevated margin to the cover adjacent score line 75. The supports 43 are for the purpose of supporting all parts of the sheaf at equal elevations so as to avoid their riflling.

At station D (Fig. 7) an operator applies a second bushingsiTat'iprepunchedholes'83: This'coveris'scored4 At station E (Fig. 7), thescrews 69 are manually appliedftfafidigiyerranireadingserein-the hollow threaded" hindi f posts* orsA bushings 57;

the assembly 'of" Fig. -7` varrives at" station F '(Fig. 8f; the bit"84'f"of"e1ectricl sc'revv'driver65;'isappliedr to the screwslotsiso a's-todrive the screw heads' 85 against the ends'iofrtlre*bushings'572 The' pins 55 are sh'ortlenough chain 45, as the drawings show. As the pins 55'v and retraction. The fact that the pins 55 are carried uponav sluldibe-'di'erent'from that afforde'dby the full-pitch distances between the pin holes 51 in"th`e'1lin'ks47. To'this 6nd,-*l1`alfJ-links` 912 may'y be used inthe chain-45f at the appropriate intervals (a'siillustrated in Fig. 10), in order tor'iiig about a= half-pitchvva'riation'in the spacing betwee`n-pis 55'." In such-vevent,lappropriate adjustments at slsW-ofl tlie guides 35 on thel belt may be required for proper punch-holealignment.l The slots 39 in guides 37 permit of further adjustments for punch-h'olevalignments withl pins 55'. Slots- 93are` alsoprovided in the bracket 25 forl permitting adjustments ofthebearings 27 in order properly toften'sion the' belt 34'.

Inv'iew ofthe aboveyitfwill be seenf that the several objects? of! thev invention are achieved andAv other advantageousr'esult's attained.A

As various changes could' be rr'iad'ein the abovecons'trct'ons without departing -from thej scope' ofthe inventio'npit isitendved that all mattercontainedin the above be'liritefpr'etedas'illustrative and not inj ali`miting sense'.

I claim:

1. Bdok'biiidiiig'apparats comprising a pair of pulleys ail-endlss=exible beltltrained around-the pulleys, the pllys-beiglarrang'ed s'o` that thebeltA has k'a generally Ilevel upper reach, means adapted to drive the belt, a ilexible` chainv ofpinned'` links`y affixed tovl` the* belt' o'n' its outside in a median plane thereof and adapted to travel and ex therewith, 'a series ott pins mounted on the chain and extending outward adapted for reception thereon of book-binding bushings, the median position of the chain on the belt providing substantial transverse iirst and second working areas on theY belton opposite sides of the chain, separate groups of guide lugs attached to the belt in said working areas respectively, members of the group of guide lugs in they lirst-working area being adapted to locate marginally prepunched covers on said lirst working area for application ofA theirY punches to said bushings on said pins of the chain, members ofthe guide lugs in the second area being adapted to locate and guide marginally punched sheaves of prepunched pages for application of their punches to said pins above the said located covers, members of said lugs in the first working area being adapted also to receiveI a'ndv guide an second' marginally punched cover'fo'r applicaticniofitsipuiiches to said'bushings on said lugs above said sheaves of pages.

2. Book-binding apparatus' comprising'fya' rst and a second pulley andv an endles's'exible' belt'tr'ained' around the pulleys, means adapted to drive theb'elt in an upper reachfrom the rst to-thesecondpulley'-, aflexible lchain of pinned links* affixed; to the belt'f on itsz outside in a median plane thereof and adapted to travel and flexf therewith, a series of pins' mountedori`-the-=chainand extendng'- outward adapted`` for? reeerati'o'nv thereon'v of vbookbinding bushings, the" median position'o't" the chain on thev belt providing substantial' transverse iiirst and second' working areas onth'ebeltv on'o'pposite sides of the chain, separate groupsz of guide lugsadjustablyattached to the belt in said working areas/respectively, membersV of the groups of guide lugs inl the` 'rsfworking area being adapted; to locate marginally prepunched covers' on'l'said rst working area for applicationof ytlzieir'punchesto -said bushings onsaidfpins of the chain, supportfrn'eans at chain height within each group of guidelug's irl-the second area adapted with the surroundinglugs` 'twis'e-'to-locate and guide marginally punchedvsheavesofprepunched pages `for application of their punches? to said pins above' theY saidlocated-covers, members `of saidilug'sinltlie first working area being adapted also t'o receive-'andi guide a-second marginally punched cover for applicationof itspunches to said bushingson-saidl lugs above said sheaves of pages.

3. Book-binding apparatusl madel according-to claimv 2, including spring-stripping fingers" arching over the. belt on the second pulley, said lingers being transversely-staggered with respect-` to" said guidel means-and` adapted to enter beneathsaid assemblies asc'arriedlupon said supports to strip the assemblie'sia'wayfI from the supportsI and pins.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES; PATENTS- 1,964,677 Schroeder* A ..v June-26, 19-34 2,266,171- Davis? ..-a 2- Dec. 16, 1941 2,3 89,902 Glaude Nov'. 27, 19745 2,723,691 Bur-ge Y Y Y V- Nov. 15, 1955 

